


Last To Fall

by AVANTBERGARA



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Arguing, Swearing, a lot of swearing, backstory ? hell yeah fam, follow grayson on twitter @VICTORIOUSGUN, follow nova on twitter @SacredVulture, i posted this here cause it was easier, im sorry about your christian timelines, my children uwu, my oc's looooovveee each other, shanewantstobattle oc's, the real tea sis, theres so much swearing, uhhhh tags ?????
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-03 07:37:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16321949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AVANTBERGARA/pseuds/AVANTBERGARA
Summary: Never leave qualms unresolved ; they'll come bite you in the ass at the worst times.





	1. Chapter 1

“Wow, look who actually showed up today.” A light snicker accompanied the words, complete sarcasm enveloping the sentence, a mocking air almost cackling around it. Yet the male didn’t truly mean harm with his words — merely a playful quip ; such was just who he was .

The SWAT agent who just entered heaved an exhale, gritting his teeth as chestnut hues narrowed at the other agent, a sneer at his lips. Hands balled into fists at his side, gently brushing up against the full uniform he wore, which made him look bulky ; not that he complained, otherwise he tended to look quite twinkish.

If it weren’t for his half sleeves of tattoos , most people would assume he was a teen .

But anyway.

He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with the other.

Not that he ever was, giving who the other was, but still.

**Fuck Nova Anderson.**

Grayson Smith didn’t truly have any qualms with the male, other than the fact he shared a last name with Lieutenant Anderson , and the fact he was Hank’s kid.

Wait, actually he did ; but that was on a whole other level.

The hardened gaze of the new arrival landed on the other agent , a mocking expression placating across his countenance a moment alike the ripple of a once tranquil river now disrupted by the tossing of a rock breaking its surface.

“ Oh look who doesn’t know how to keep his own business to himself .” Grayson sneered , his usual demeanor of comedic soft air completely diminished , annoyance just thickening the air around him .

It seemed Anderson always had that effect on him , and he couldn’t help himself.

Nova scoffed , those damned arms of his crossing over his chest , his foot pushing him from where he was leaning against the wall as he walked forward .

The two were almost similar in height , though the two themselves couldn’t be any more different if they tried .

“ Keep my own business to myself ? I’m almost hurt by that , Smith . But frankly ; your comments mean absolutely nothing to me .” Nova snorted , arms falling loosely to his sides as he stood in front of the other , his own uniform almost brushing up against the front of Grayson’s as he tried to bring that air of confidence that somehow always surrounded the male.

Must’ve been exhausted to be that way .

Grayson’s gaze flickered to the chest plating before moving to land on Nova’s face , his words coursing anger though the agent’s veins , those balled fists white knuckling as they began to tremble .

Oh he wasn’t going to fucking take this today .

“ At least I don’t fuck my co - workers during missions and then toss them aside when a promotion comes along . Oh wait — was that too close to home ?”

Grayson’s lips were upturned in a sneer as he didn’t back down from the other , brows arching downward in the pure fury beginning to crumble his will as he wanted nothing more than to punch the smirk off the other agent’s face , and he didn’t care in the moment what words were coming from his mouth, it was about time someone got a taste of their own medicine .

The comment elicited a rumble of a dry and humorless laugh from Nova , but the gleam of anger gave away the facade he held up , showing that the comment actually affected him , his form leaning in ever so slightly as he brought their faces closer together.

It was a blessing there were no other officers around.

Or worse ; the Captain .

“ You really want to play this song and dance ? It takes two to tango, Smith.” Nova’s words were low, the simple sentence laced with the threat of a fight, the calm before the storm.

There was a difference between knowing you were going to die and accepting it ; this such was no different.

It was Grayson’s turn to laugh, a sly smirk spreading across his face as his brows rose, challenging the other , seemingly unafraid. “Then let’s dance, Anderson .”

The words had barely left the other’s mouth, the last syllable of Nova’s last name falling to the wind as a hand came up to the agent’s face, clocking Grayson right to the cheek as the punch sent him all but flying to the side, the close impact having him sprawling and sliding along the floor. Nova could feel the bones of his knuckles connect with the cheekbone of the other, hearing the slight crack that popped into the air .

A groan came from the fallen male as blood drip drip dripped from his mouth, shaking limbs holding the agent up as he stood on shaky feet, moving a gloved hand to wipe the blood streaming from his parted lips as droplets splattered on the tiled floor, dimples still present as they were embedded softly into stubble riddled cheeks.

“That’s the dance you want to do ? Fine by me .” Grayson grunted as he took a step forward , using the leverage of his own body to push off from the step, moving to swing his own hand at Nova, almost mimicking what the latter did to him moments ago, though his actions were lethargic, the trembling of his own body from the impact delaying his reaction times.

Nova blinked, easily grabbing the arm coming for him as he twisted it behind Grayson, using his leg to kick the back of the other agent’s knees , sending the leg out from under him as he collapsed on the other one, his hand harshly pressed into his back from Nova, the other against the ground to try to stable himself.

He simply raised his brows as he looked down at Grayson, a seemingly deadpan expression spreading across his countenance as he smirked ever so slightly, the seemingly zero effort put into the action not even affecting him .

Seeing the smirk ignited a kind of fire within Grayson, moving his hand against Nova’s as he grabbed it with his free hand, using the newly encaptured one to gain leverage on his end as he tugged Nova forward, ducking as he forced Nova to tumble forward over his own back, causing Nova's back to slam into the ground in front of Grayson with a heavy thud, the fracture of something sounding in the air with a sickening crackle against muscle and sinew.

Though to be fair, the SWAT uniform probably saved the male from most of the impact of the hard tiled floor ; however Nova was still winded as he wheezed out an exhale, all oxygen gone from his lungs and puffing out from the heavy hit. If nothing was truly injured, he'd sure as hell be bruised and sore tomorrow.

Grayson wasted no time in scrambling to his feet, needing to gain a bit of distance from the other as Nova got himself together as well, rolling his cracking shoulders as he stood to his feet, those icy oceanic hues sharp as glass as they targeted Grayson.

“You think you’re so fucking slick and cool because you play music , don’t you ? Like you’re some god among men because a few people know your name .” His words were a heaving effort, but he spat them anyway, anger trembling his lips as he balled his hands into fists, the one that had punched Grayson earlier riddled with splotches of azure, synthetic skin peeled back from the android arm that replaced the entirety of his right arm.

Grayson snorted, a curt shake of his head and narrowed dark sepia hues answering his co worker . “I never said anything about that. You think because you’re hot shit you can just do as you please ?” The anger was coursing through both of them, erupting like lava plumes on a volcanic infested island.

There would be no survivors if anyone got in the way.

“At least I do my fucking work, and show the fuck up. After everything , yeah, I think I can do whatever the fuck I want. I may have a big mouth, but at least my performance is one of the best this unit has.” Sneering words barely made it past gritted teeth as Nova stepped forward, the two slowly closing the distance between them, circling each other like vultures ready to dive down to their prey, and oh they were both pissed.

“The fuck is your issue with me anyway ?” Nova added to his speech, not even letting Grayson speak to his prior comment. This all started because he had made a joke, and the other had his head far too up his ass to get it.

“My issue with you? I could ask you the same thing.” A scoff came from the older male as he shook his head, flashbacks of the incident with Hank popping into his head now. “Where do I fucking start, Anderson ? Actually, I could start there. Your relation with Lieutenant Anderson already adds you to my shit list, but given you’re a selfish son of a bitch, it only justifies it more .”

The accusation had Nova pausing, genuinely surprised by it. He had his fair share of bullshit and run ins with rumors and all the likes of people disliking him ; but this reason was a new one.

“Selfish ?” His anger wavered for a moment, cracking as confusion swept in, filling the volcanic ash created cracks, sealing the two together in the heat of the moment. “When have I ever been selfish, huh Grayson ? You talk a big game, yet you know nothing of what I’ve been through.”

The flashback of Nova’s incident flashed through his head, the feeling of the fire poke tearing through his abdomen, the metal slicing through organs like there was nothing to it caused his Thirium pump to flutter a moment, limbs loosening as he felt the nuance wave of nausea envelop him.

“And you think you know my life ? Why do you think I am the way I am, Nova ? If you want to call me out for assuming you life, take a look in the fucking mirror once in a while, okay ? You’re selfish not in your actions, but in the view you uphold of yourself. You’re not perfect ; just because you’re some macho man doesn’t mean we can’t see through the fucking facade . Just fucking admit it .”

Grayson shook his head as he finished his words, stopping as well. The two had landed back where they originally had been , blood and Thirium painting the floor alike the mixed relations in Nova’s veins, yet blotchy and patchy like Grayson’s track record.

Despite the armistice it seemed was settling over the pair, the final straw for Nova was Grayson’s last comment.

No thought went into the steps he took forward, the way his arms came up, gripping Grayson’s uniform as he moved to the pair up against the wall, slamming his fellow agent into the plaster of the wall of the locker room, a snarl tearing at his lips, ice caps and a storm brewing behind those sharp azure eyes, fingers trembling with unbridled rage.

“I know my flaws, Smith. I’m reminded of them every day. How about you quit worrying about what the fuck everyone else is and worry about you ? You’re not all high and mighty either , just because you can masquerade behind two lives. You’re not any more special than the rest of us because you got some good vocal chords.”

That struck a nerve with the agent as he snarled, pushing Nova off him as the other stumbled back, surprise painting his features . It wasn’t uncommon for those of the SWAT unit to be strong, but it was rare that Nova ever saw Grayson actually a c t .

Everyone seems to forget Grayson is a part of the SWAT as well ; his strength isn’t something to gawk at.

“Oh yeah ? And you think because you crawled your way to Elijah Kamski and have a pretty face and you got a few metal pieces in ya , you’re what ? A god ? You love to use people, don’t you ? Benefit yourself until they’re no more and you just go on with you’re fucking life like they didn’t mean shit . Until what, they come crawling back to you ?”

His words raised with each one that came from his mouth, backing up the pair near the lockers adjacent from the wall, sharp mahogany oculars narrowing with each step, the background of a hiss seeping out with his exhales.

Nova kept taking steps back, moving his hands up to defend himself, waiting for the second his back would hit the metal of the lockers, waiting for the opportunity to knock the shit out of Grayson 

But it never did, as a hand roughly gripped his uniform, pulling him to the side , an angry grunt cutting them both off .

“That’s fucking enough you two !” The stern voice of Captain Allen rang loud and clear through the air, his even colder expression passing between the two bloodied and injured pissed off agents on either side of him, a look of disappointment along with concern  flashing over his visage a moment before hardening back to a stoic and unnerving expression .

“I’m not going to tolerate this kind of behavior.” He continued, waving away any words that tried to come from Nova’s or Grayson’s mouths, killing any chance they had to explain or defend themselves.

“You’re both fucking suspended until further notice and that’s final .”

 

* * *

 

 

**Choose :**

 

**[Nova](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16321949/chapters/38287589) (Proceed to Chapter 2 or Click)**

**Grayson (Proceed to Chapter 3)**


	2. 2 - Heart of Novocaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING : In this chapter is very heavy actions of violence , swearing , and graphic content. Reader discretion is advised
> 
> THANK YOU !! E N J O Y

_**August 2034** _

_**Home of Novaeus Nicole Anderson** _

_**Detroit , Michigan** _

_**PM 08 : 45 : 07** _

 

 

A sigh whistled past parted lips with the welcoming opening of the front door of the house, the familiar smell of home enveloping the female as she entered.

Shrugging off her coat, she placed the black police issued jacket on the rack next to the light switch , rolling her shoulders once they were free from the confines of the fabric .

The best part of the work day was coming home and taking off your uniform, and getting into something more comfortable.

Hell just being home was amazing enough.

Especially working for the Detroit Police Department , it was always a miracle to  _ be _ home .

The thought ended as the Detective entered the kitchen , her hands moving to rest and lean against the alabaster marble countertop ; the island stationed near the edge between the large living area and the kitchen . Both rooms had been lit up , informing the female that her significant other was home .

It was rare that she ever got home and he wasn’t — such was just how their schedules worked .

Taking a moment , and routinely , she unbuckled her badge and holster from her waist , setting the two near the far end of the countertop , making sure to keep it out of harm's way for the feline that roamed the halls .

Sliding the two items down , the light reflected off the golden badge , a gleam as it spread across the owner of the title : Detective Nova Lunsford .

The name entirely wasn’t correct , but well , when you were under an alias — it was true .

Nova gave a glance at the badge a moment , unthinkingly as she usually did , a flicker of a thought to call someone entered her consciousness , but fleetingly left just as quickly within a blink .

As much as she cared to do such a thing — with each passing day being tacked on to the 2 plus years , she felt it was pointless .

If there was something she wanted to say , she could easily do it during her shift 

At least that’s how she reassured herself as she walked into the living room, the large expanse of the room occupied by the minimal furniture ; and not to mention the male occupying the one couch , his suited form surrounded by the tsunami of paperwork littering the coffee table and encircling floor , a feline nestled in his lap to top it all off.

She watched him for a moment, just taking it all in ; taking him all in. Nova had known the other for several years now, most of the time he had been pining after her , so much so they shared a lot of classes together despite his senior to her freshman.

What a coincidence .

Eyes surveyed every detail about him, from the darkened slicked back locks, the strands curving along his scalp alike a frozen abysmal waterfall, the soft curve of the edge of his face, lined with stubble near the chin, brow bone sculpted by thick brows hanging over ocean hues, two spheres of a piercing hanging above one , sandy shores of dark full lashes sweeping over the crest and fall of his gaze, ever so soft against his stoic demeanor. The slight twitch of his lips, full tiers always curling into a smile or a smirk, no wrinkles to be creased besides those shown on by the sun. The broadness of his shoulders as the sea of suit fabric held the muscles beneath, the taunt curves and well formed physique of the businessman. The snake with blue eyes ; Xavier Lockwood.

“Xavier.” Her voice was soft, a light call to the male ; for she didn’t want to interrupt him. But merely let him know she was home ; it was almost rare for him to be so engrossed in his work and not hear her enter, so she didn’t wish to dam the flow.

The call of his name, even as quiet as it was, stirred the other from his work, brows furrowing in confusion for a moment before his azure hues blinked at her, expression loosening as a smile spread across his cheeks, visage lighting up at the woman in front of him.

“Babe you’re home. Are you early ?” Xavier hummed a moment, setting aside the document he had been analyzing, giving the feline a slight pet before scooching her to a stack of paper on the cushion adjacent to him, her form never so much as stirring from it’s kittenly slumber.

“Early ? Xavier it’s almost 9 at night. How long have you been working ?” Nova let out a laugh, shaking her head a moment , dark chestnut strands swishing from her ponytail with the movement as her arms crossed over her chest, trying to seem stern — except the smile tugging at the edges of her lips causing that facade to fall apart.

And to completely crumble and disperse as she felt familiar strong hands around her waist, pulling her in as a kiss was left across her forehead.

“I must’ve gotten too lost in my work I suppose. But don’t worry I’m back in the here and now ; with you .” His words softened near the end , curtain of lashes fluttering against his cheeks as he gazed down , inclining his face until his tiers brushed softly against hers , a contented sigh escaping the male .

“ Well I’m glad to have you back then .” As much as the joke should’ve been accompanied by a laugh , a quip and a dance of a jester song , the words were proven to be a whisper on the wind , a silent plea to the night air where only the two of them existed in the continuum of time ; where in their lips met , bringing together the two worlds of the two entities , softly tying their love for one another in a passionate embrace .

All but broken by the rapture of inhaling air to much needing lungs .

Heat dusted the detective’s cheeks , the soft moments with Xavier always making her suddenly feel self conscious ; as if she didn’t deserve the being before her – as if in her eyes he could walk upon the surface of a lake , and close any gap that bestowed between the two .

A soft chuckle met his words, a low whistle along the note of the song and dance that were the two. Two pairs of two touching oceans blinked at one other, shores waving silent hellos as the crested waves peered over the entirities of the other.

Until a soft boat brushed along the bottom of the twin oceans, the mast of the boat turning as it rubbed against the first leg of the male, before moving to the female and giving a soft mew ; two lighthouse colored eyes blinking for the oceans’ attentions.

Nova laughed, beaming as she looked down, bending a bit to pick up the feline, nestling her in her arms as Xavier moved his fingers softly through the abysmal fur, rubbing at the back of Ebany’s ears , scratching at the area she attacked the most .

The soft whirring of a motorized purr rewarded the pair’s actions , smiles breaking out on either of their faces , before their gazes upturned and met back in the middle ; once as they always had : even in a crowd of people , in a classroom — even through the day’s , weeks , months and years they’ve known one another .

“ Seems my girls are getting hungry .” A faint comment came from the taller of the duo , his sapphire oculars moving from one female to the other , the glow of a smile never leaving his features .

“ It would appear it is that time of night .” Nova murmured out , her own smile fierce across her visage .

It was weird how happiness exists in the little moments like this ; the unexpected meetings of passing seas and a boat — the endless wonders of the oceans coupled by the land around it .

“ Why don’t we order something ? Have you get comfortable and relax , and I can finish up the paperwork from today’s meeting and clean up in the meantime ?” 

Xavier hummed as he leaned in to kiss Ebany’s head , the feline meeting his gesture with her nose , softly brushing it against the male’s chin before going back to a closed eye slumber in Nova’s arms ; the male himself moving to leave a kiss against the detective’s nose .

“ Are you trying to tell me you’d rather opt out of my cooking ?” A mock sense of hurt riddled the female’s words , a dramatic exaggerated gasp taking its time on the inhale .

It was Xavier’s turn to act out , his hand flying to his chest as he let out a loud gasp , startling Ebany .

“ I am saying no such thing . I  _ adore  _ your cooking ; but I also adore you relaxing and winding down after a long day . Come on , I’ll grab the menus and we can look at what we want — why don’t you go change ?” The words were a questioning hum , the male raising his brows as he dropped the hand , scooping the feline from the female to free her hands .

Said hands fell loosely to Nova’s side as she caved in, nodding a short moment. “Fine, fine. I’ll go get changed . Meet back in the kitchen ?”

“Meet back in the kitchen .” An affirmative nod answered her, and sealing their fate .

 

* * *

 

 

Tired footfalls landed in the doorway of the shared master bedroom, an even more tired sigh exhaling from the Detective who shuffled in, socks gliding along the wooden floor .

Moving to her side of the bed, Nova dropped off her watch , setting it gently face up as she always did ; making sure the touch screen didn’t get damaged while it charged or scratched on the wooden nightstand.

Thoughts were filtering in her mind as her gaze subconsciously swept across the room as it always had, seemingly harmless in the action.

Something caught her eye on Xavier’s side, a curious hum halting her movements, causing her to do a double take.

It was a package of sorts ; something not normally seen from her businessman significant other.

Intrigued, the female moved to the other side for a closer inspection, her detective instincts immediately kicking in. At first she refrained from touching it ; as if it was an unwilling weapon in a murder sequence.

But looking at it, and upon closer inspection, she knew what the vermilion crystalline chunks jutting and poking the plastic packaging were.

Red Ice ? But  —

Something wasn’t adding up , surely —

Hands grasped the item, picking it up with careful precision, bringing it closer to her gaze, as if the distance between the object and her eyes would change essentially what the object was.

It was a fruitless endeavor as she felt her heart begin to race.

There was no way Xavier was a Red Ice user ? Or even a dealer ?

Fingers enclosed around the item in her hand as she felt anger spike in her veins, narrowed eyes looking towards the open lip of the bedroom door.

She felt betrayed — and there was even no proof to anything besides the heavy item in her hands .

There were very few things that were secrets between the two ; and this was beyond the realm of anything she thought Xavier would hide ; especially given his behavior , she would know if his behavior had changed or was  _ e v e r  _ affected by the drug ; and there had never been any signs of the like.

But she worked for the Detroit Police Department ; there was no way this was flying with her — not after the shit she’s been through .

Angrily determined steps made their way out of the bedroom, taking the flight of stairs at a startling pace, moving until she halted in the brim of the kitchen, pausing as she observed Xavier, the zip lock bag of all the take out menus they’d collected over the years sitting on the surface of the island, his own form and Ebany leaning on it as well.

“Well that was fast . . .”

A trailing off voice began, instantly dying upon seeing the expression on his lover, flesh turning a ghostly white as they moved to the bag in her hand.

“What the fuck is this, Xavier ?” Her words were laced with venom already, a rattlesnake giving its final warning before brandishing its fangs and striking.

And her words were the final shaking of that rattle.

“Where did you find that ?” His words were defensive now, the electrified air from the heated charge Nova had entered the situation with , igniting the core within the male as well, his form moving to a fully standing position.

“ In plain sight, sitting on your night stand, that’s where. Now you want to fucking tell me what this is doing in our house ?” Her words were slow, low and predatory, eyes narrowed as a storm was brewing over that normally calm ocean, fingers beginning to tremble as they grasped that damned plastic bag.

Xavier swallowed thickly, his own ocean waves beginning to raise tide, waves dangerously crashing against the shore as brows arched downwards , lip pursing into a thin line. “Why does it matter , Noves ? It’ll be gone by the end of the weekend. Like it was never here. A friend of mine needed to hide it, that’s all, okay ?” He held his hands out defensively in front of him as he circled the island, slowly closing the distance bestowed between the two.

But those cresting waves gave him away to the detective that laid in their bed at night ; that trusted him and never once batted an eye , never questioned him , and nor did he her . There never was rhyme or reason to.

“Bullshit. Don’t try to fucking lie to me, Xavier. You and I know both know damn well it won’t work. I don’t give a fuck anything about whatever context you try to spin. It’s still in my house, and you know better than that. Well ; you  _ should _ anyway.” The hiss behind her words wasn’t even attempted to be hidden , harsh as the backdrop of her accusation .

She took a step back, inching towards the living room. Her eyes glanced to her gun, sitting fully loaded in it’s pretty bed of a holster at the end of the island.

Nova didn’t want to hurt Xavier, it didn’t seem like such was needed ; but every instinct in her was screaming to go get it ; but with each step she was getting further and further away from it.

“Nova , look . Just, let me take care of it , okay ? It was last minute, and I can’t exactly text my Detective of a girlfriend about drugs while she’s at work, can i ?” His words were deceptive, almost as if trying to spin the story, push some of the blame on her.

Nova wasn’t having it. “That’s the damn fucking reason it shouldn’t even be in the fucking house, Xavier ! I’m a Detective, I work for the  _ Police _ Station ! You know better than anyone I take my job seriously. I won’t hesitate to report this. I don’t know what went through your head when you walked into this fucking house with this, but it’s not the Xavier I know.” Words became hardened, slick with ice as it coated the plank between the two, steps being taken.

Until plaster met the back of the Detective, a surprised hum whistling through parted teeth.

Xavier took one more step before halting himself, hands trembling as they stood out in front of him, but that damned storm crashing through his ocean hues prepared Nova for the worst.

“Noves. Just, give me the bag. And I’ll take care of it, okay ? There’s no need to involve the force with this, okay ?” Anger laced his words like a viper, a blue eyed snake slithering between them.

Almost like it had the whole time.

Being with her was the perfect rouse ; to hide behind someone of the force to hide  _ from _ the force.

Was that . . . true ?

Thoughts clouded her mind as her hands shook, uncertainty creeping into her consciousness, draining the anger from her, yet egging it on towards the other.

Despite the wall at her back, she didn't back down.

“I’m going to take care of this ; just as it should be. Xavier, my father was head of the force of dispelling Red Ice, you can’t truly believe I’d let this slide ?” 

Xavier clenched his fists angrily, a huff pushing through his nostrils as he took another step forward.

“Nova. I’m not going to ask again. Just, give it to me. And I’ll make sure it’s out of the house by tomorrow.” Eerily calm words suffocated the Detective as she gripped the package , feeling the perfect crystalline chunks breaking, feeling the dust it was turning into under the heat of her wedged grip .\

But she saw that gaze of the other, saw that the determination between choosing her or what was in her hand was a finite choice ; and one already made.

No hesitation was in her movements as she moved her free hand to the set of tools she knew was at her hip, fingers sliding the fire poker out of it’s station alike a sword from its hilt.

She held it out in front of her , brows arching hardenedly downward, ocean hues casting over into a unmeltable glacier.

A bark of a laugh left Xavier, his movements becoming erratic, anger fueling them , as he wasted no time in closing the gap that lay waste between them, no air of remorse as he raised his right hand to swing it at the female.

Instincts kicked in as she raised her right arm, catching the hand that almost landed a blow to her face, fear trickling and immediately racing through her veins, fist dropping the Red Ice as she protected herself, gripping Xavier’s enclosed hand with trembling fingers.

“If you think you can win in a fight against me Novaeus, you can’t. This should’ve been a lot easier.” All air of who Nova knew Xavier to be was gone, the last drops of the man she loved evacuating his system as he raised his free hand, bringing it down hard to the female’s open inner elbow , the clenched fist like an anvil to the sensitive area as the sickening crack and breaking of bones and tearing sinew sounded in the air, almost drowned out by the sheer scream of the detective , rendering her lungs and system in shock .

The sound was immediately cut off as Xavier used the hand again and his newly freed one to grab her by the collar of her uniform, lowly shushing her, until whimpers were quiet and low, never leaving the space between the two , crystalline droplets coursing their way down her cheeks , trembling bones aching beneath torn flesh . Fear had its seat at the head of her table .

Fire never left Nova’s eyes as she stared down Xavier, each tremble from her right arm sending jolts of pain through her ; she could feel how shattered the arm was , and her left shook, holding the home made weapon with more fever.

It seemed it was now a fight for her life.

One she could see herself losing as the male clearly had the upper hand, foot moving to kick the Red Ice out of the way of the fight, one of his hands moving to hover over where her’s was perched on the fire poker.

“Come on Noves, let’s not make this any worse than it has to be, okay ?” His words were facadly sweet, the drip of the snake venom in his words making the female sick as he used her nickname again, her teeth gnashing together as she refused to let go of the metal rod.

Causing Xavier to tug at it , making a move to grab it from her, using the leverage he had on her to let go of her uniform and have her falter on her footing, loosening her grip on it.

One final tug had it in his hands, now aimed at her.

Nova refused to let this be it. Nursing and taking into account her right side, she moved to kick Xavier's knee cap with her left booted foot, having the advantage of still being in uniform , feeling the smooth cap crack and shattered beneath her foot . A howl of pain ripped through the male as he instantly fell to his other knee, Nova moving to try to gain some space back in her favor , adjusting herself so the same foot was pressed against Xavier’s chest —

Until she felt cold metal invading the warm chasm of her chest, interrupting the flow of her veins ; completely slicing her like it was nothing , precious organs being protected by nothing as sharp metal tore and rendered them useless .

There was so much red as she felt a strangled and surprised breath leave her form ; eyes fluttering shut as she tried to make it not true.

 

* * *

 

 

But they opened, another sigh leaving his form as he crossed his arms over his chest, muscles tensing as he waited for the machine to finish dropping to the right temperature, the sloshing of blue blood filtering through the machine, soft whirring alike the purr he could hear of Ebany behind him.

The memory of that night always haunted him, a daily reminder to him of the mistakes he had made ; the event that had taken place.

Hell, he still lived in the same home that he almost died in.

Nova felt an ache in his shoulder, one he often got on nights like these ; given his entire right arm had been removed, it was replaced by a functional android one, matching completely to its old counterpart.

Ever since the fight with Grayson earlier in the day , and being suspended because of it ; the words of the other agent weighed with Nova.

“Administer admin code .” He spoke aloud with a sigh, scratching his shoulder as he felt his system register the voice, the slight response from his parts as synthetic skin fell from his arm, racing across his chest to reveal the fake metal chest plating that covered his Thirium pump . 

A human hand ran across the scarless alabaster metal a moment, another sigh wracking his body as he blinked, tired and calm ocean hues fluttering open, curtain of lashes hovering around them alike a nightly sun, cresting with the soothing waves of those occulars. No scars showed his transition in this area, the synthetic skin doing wonders in its boundaries to leave no room for blemishes.

Androids were perfect after all, weren’t they ?

“Admin code : 07152014 .” The mutter was familiar, a quick roll of his shoulder as he felt the ports release, a free hand catching the falling metal arm as it popped out from the socket, rendering Nova in almost his most basic modeling.

A heavy hand set the piece on the white marble island in the kitchen, the newly freed hand moving to run through the short chestnut locks that clung to the agent’s scalp, moving down to scratch at the stubble riddling his chin, before just tredly falling back to his side.

A soft ding indicating the finishing of something pulled Nova from his thoughts as he moved back into the living room, gaze flickering to where the fireplace used to be, the area now covered by animal miscellaneous items, spare beds for Hercules and Ebany, and not to mention more toys then the two needed combined.

Perhaps Grayson was right — was he selfish ?

Thoughts only made him feel worse as he thought of Gavin : the two were partners since Nova joined the DPD , working together on this and that , even an undercover mission at the Eden Club — until he was promoted to Sergeant.

It felt like after that he completely dropped Gavin ; but he didn't, they still saw each other at work and hung out weekly for . . .that .

Right ?

Then another fleeting thought as Elijah came into his mind’s eye : the man who saved his life , granted him life again , cured the fear of dying from what happened. Let him stay in his own home as Nova healed . . . 

It feels like forever since the two of them talked ; truly sat down and talked .

And finally to Hank.

The whole reason Nova joined the DPD was to be with Hank again , to finally face the man he had been running from for years ; hiding behind the pretense of a situation he had been too prideful to fix.

Even though Hank gave him everything he could ever ask for from a parent.

Nova Anderson sighed one final time as his fingers removed the syringe of Thirium from the cooled machine, clouds of cold fog billowing from the center of the cavern .

Brows arched downwards angrily as he looked at the very thing that kept him alive, a storm brewing within that calm pair of ocean hues . 

Grayson had a performance tomorrow, didn’t he ? It looked like Nova’s schedule was freed up suddenly, and he’d pay his musically inclined friend a visit to clear the air .


End file.
